Journal Gazette from Mattoon, Illinois • Page 7

www.jg-tc.com NATIONWORLD Wednesday, November 29, 2008 A7 Dog slaughter begins in city hit with bird flu 1'! til IKSAN, South Korea (AP) A 2-year-old dachshund barked chained to its dingy, wooden house Tuesday, unaware of its fate as South Korea began slaughtering hundreds of dogs, cats and pigs in an effort to stem the.spread of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu. The dog's owner Im Soon-duck like many villagers was more concerned about losing her three pigs than the dog, which was a present from her daughter. "Dogs are good for keeping us amused. But pigs it costs us a lot to buy those pigs," said the 66-year-old Im, who lives next to a chicken farm where a second outbreak of bird flu was confirmed Tuesday, near the site of an outbreak last week in Iksan, about 155 miles south of Seoul. The government is to compensate farmers for their lost livestock, but the exact amounts are not yet known.

Quarantine officials began the slaughter Tuesday even though interna tional health experts have questioned killing non-poultry species to curtail bird flu's spread, saying there is no scientific evidence to suggest dogs, cats or pigs can pass the virus to humans. Since ravaging Asia's poultry in late 2003, the H5N1 virus has killed at least 153 people worldwide. Infections among people have been traced to contact with infected birds, but experts fear the virus could mutate into a form that passes easily between humans, leading to a human pandemic. South Korean officials insist the decision to slaughter dogs, cats and pigs was not unusual and that the step has been taken in other countries without public knowledge. Park Kyung-hee, an official at Iksan City Hall, said 677 dogs bred on farms for their meat -r along with 300 pigs were to be slaughtered Tuesday.

Associated Press Spectators watch sea lions at Pier 39 In San Francisco on Nov. 20. San Francisco may have to rethink Its relationship with its most visible wildlife attraction after one rogue sea lion bit at least 14 swimmers and chased 10 more out of the water this month at a nearby lagoon. 1 FISHERMAN'S WHARF shr You Can Eat Buffet Including Shrimp. Beef, Pork and Salad Bar, etc.

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Mattoon, IL 235-6011 PARTY ROOM AVAILABLE id mffm u.jJUJ-LLJUUJji..iiL"iL 'inum Wmmmi mm-mmmmm iiamimiwimMMiiMii SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -Tourists flock to Fisherman's Wharf for the seafood and the stunning views of San Francisco Bay, but for many visitors, the real stars are the dozens of playful, whiskered sea lions that lounge by the water's edge, gulping down fish. Now a series of sea-lion attacks on people in recent months has led experts to warn that the animals are not as cute and cuddly as they appear. "People should understand these animals are out there not to attack people or humans. But they're out there to survive for themselves," said Jim Oswald, a spokesman for the Marine Mammal Center across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. In the most frightening of the recent episodes, a rogue sea lion bit 14 swimmers this month and chased 10 more out of the water at San Francisco's Aquatic Park, a sheltered lagoon near the bay.

At least one victim suffered puncture wounds. Some scientists speculate that the animals' aggressive behavior is being caused by eating fish contaminated by toxic algae, or by a shortage of food off the coast. But wildlife experts say even healthy sea lions are best left alone. In Southern California in June, a sea lion charged several people on Manhattan Beach and bit a man before waddling into the water and swimming away. In Berkeley, a woman was hospitalized last spring after a sea lion took a chunk out of her leg.

Last year, a group of sea lions took over a Newport Beach marina and caused a vintage 50-foot yacht to capsize when they boarded it. And a lifeguard in Santa Barbara was bitten three times while swimming off El Capi-tan State Beach. In Alaska, a huge sea lion jumped onto a fisherman's boat in 2004, knocked him overboard and pulled him underwater; he escaped without serious injury. Sea lions, which can reach 1,000 pounds, typically bite only if they feel threatened or cornered. And they are more likely to flee than fight if they can escape.

Researchers have described the most recent attacks, in which some swimmers were chased through open water, as abnormal behavior. Still, with a population numbering about 200,000 and growing, these playful, social creatures are increasingly likely to cross paths with humans. Sea lions accustomed to the easy pickings of seafood scraps in popular fishing areas can become aggressive toward people if they fear their food is about to be taken away, Oswald said. The Berkeley attack, for example, was at a marina mm 1 p3 p3 I fl fi -4 I ct fi I ft 1 ii si fa- Jfalt it I WA fT5 ill 4 i.v.,aj OB WD Wildlife coming across border poses continuing threat to U.S. suspicious boxes.

"It's tough to cover all the things we have to do on a daily basis with so few inspectors. Now throw in disease-fighting duties and it's really tough," Landry said. When Landry is not in a cargo hold, he is on the airport passenger floor scanning weary international travelers as they pour off flights from North Korea, Paris and Nigeria to collect their luggage. "We don't profile people," Landry said. "We profile bags." After most international flights, mainly from Asia and lTl'r nrillllllliFITl TMra 1 I Africa, containers overflow Phonos I cslowos CzM ATLANTA (AP) Wildlife inspector Bryan Landry can spot threats everywhere at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

A backpack carried off a flight from Nigeria contains plastic bags of meat from the bush that could harbor the lethal Ebola virus. Those salted duck eggs from South Korea, a delicacy not easily found here, could carry the dreaded bird flu. And the exotic birds taped to a passenger's legs and the pair of monkey paws concealed in a bag could harbor any one of several diseases that jump to humans. Landry and fellow inspectors with the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service are a last line of defense against such risky items before they come across the border, often with unsuspecting people intending only to bring back a taste from home, an exotic pet or a travel memento. Potential carriers are multiplying.

Some 210 million wild animals were brought legally into the country last year, and many more were smuggled. The net of protection is thin. There are just 120 inspectors like Landry to cover 39 airports and border crossings full time. Though Customs and Border Protection inspectors help monitor some smuggling, the wildlife inspectors are left to check passenger baggage, shipments of hunting trophies, cargo containers destined for the pet trade and v. sS ft .,...4 8 I i with seized products including raw chicken, salted duck eggs and pungent meat.

Human consumption of virus-laden animals or animal products can mean trouble. Most scientists believe HIVAIDS started in Africa with human consumption of a primate that carried simian immunodeficient virus. SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, is believed to have originated from the handling and consumption of wild animals in China. Heather Eves, director of the Bushmeat Crisis Task Force, said there are hundreds if not thousands of pounds of bushmeat coming into the United States every day with little or no tracking. In one of the first cases of its kind, New York federal prosecutors charged a woman who smuggled bushmeat into the country with fraudulently importing goods.

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